Volleyball Newcomer Q&A: PG Garrison
8/27/2019 2:26:00 PM | Volleyball
We will be posting Q&As with each of the eight newcomers on this year's Alabama volleyball team as they head into the 2019 season. Our sixth Q&A is with PG Garrison from Helena, Ala.
How did you get your start playing volleyball?
"I didn't start until I was a freshman in high school. I played a little bit when I was around 11 years old but stopped because I was also playing soccer. When I got to high school, I had to pick between the two. I didn't like playing outdoors as much so I chose volleyball but I really did fall in love with the sport once I made the choice and started playing club. The comradery of the girls on the first team I was on really made me love it."
When did playing collegiately become a goal for you?
"My freshman year it was still kind of a hobby because I was just getting into it. Once I kept going with it and played club, it became my whole life. I became really interested in playing in college around my sophomore year. After my sophomore year I went to a college camp and they were interested in me so that really made me think I could play at that level."
You have a family history at the University of Alabama
"I'm from Orlando originally, but my Dad came here and both of my brothers are here now. It was my first choice to come here because it was our family school. My dad grew up in Birmingham and all his family is there now."
So you've been to campus before in a non-volleyball capacity?
"My first 'visit' here was probably when I was around 10 years old for a football game. I love the atmosphere around it. It's a huge atmosphere. When my brothers started school here I would come up for games, so I was early in high school by then."
What were your impressions of campus after playing volleyball in college became a goal for you?
"When I met some of the girls and they made the decision easy. It was the team comradery and who the girls were as people. I've seen teams that weren't very bonded in that way. The facilities were amazing too, so that was another big factor."
What was your first conversation with Coach Devine like?
"It was amazing. It wasn't like a normal college coach call. She really wanted to get to know us as people, not just volleyball players. I immediately knew she would be a great coach to play for."
How has the transition to college life been off the court?
"It's hard with weights and practice but they lay out the schedule in a really good way so that you do have time in between each thing to get from place to place."
What have been the biggest difference on the court between high school and college?
"Definitely the speed of the game. I came from a pretty good high school, but other teams maybe have one or two big hitters you can focus on. In college, everybody is good. Everybody was the best player on their high school team. The way we read the offense is different than I had before. We know how our own team is blocking and the way we communicate that is different than what I had done before. The seniors did a really good job of teaching all the newcomers though."
How has the team meshed so far?
"We do have a big group of newcomers and a big team in general. Some people might think having a big team would be a disadvantage when only six are on the court at a time but I think it's an advantage in our case. All the upperclassmen are very helpful, on and off the court. They will give you a ride to class or invite you to dinner. On the court, it was helpful to have a large group of older girls teach us over the summer what they learned from Coach Devine in the spring. We work well together because we take criticism really well. We're so close off the court that when we're on the court, if someone needs to get it together we can tell them that and they'll take it as constructive criticism because they know it comes from a good place."
What are some of your goals heading into the season?
"Individually, there's a lot of small passing things I want to accomplish that Coach Devine has introduced to us. Little stats I'd like to improve day-to-day, especially for serve receive. As a team, we've talked a lot about taking it one practice at a time and one match at a time."
